November 30, 2016

“While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:6-7

It is so easy for us to become distracted and for our lives to drift out of focus. We often find ourselves looking for the “main event” in the wrong places. We usually search for extraordinary events only in the places we feel they will occur. We spend the bulk of our time trying to focus our attention on a super event that will somehow bring a sense of purpose to our lives. What do we usually find out? The events that really have meaning are quite frequently in the areas of life we take for granted. The greatest, most fulfilling opportunities usually occur in our everyday, sometimes mundane, life.

Consider the passage above. One of the greatest events in all human history occurred in a very ordinary place on a seemingly typical night. The shepherds were in the fields keeping watch over their flocks during the night. Yet, in the stillness of the night and among the typical, sometimes menial tasks of the shepherds, the Messiah was born! Suddenly, the quietness was shattered and the lowly shepherds were eyewitnesses to an extraordinary, even terrifying event. An angel appeared to them proclaiming the birth of the Savior! Then, a great company of the heavenly host began praising and glorifying God. What an event! It was huge but it took place in the familiar surroundings of the shepherds.

The shepherds weren’t looking for this grand event but it took place amid their everyday routine. Far too often, we neglect the simple opportunities surrounding us each day. We spend time looking for, and trying to create, grand events when God may be placing an extraordinary event in the midst our ordinary life. What greater event could be shared than for a person to surrender their life to Jesus? We have an opportunity to be involved in extraordinary events when we tell others the Good News of Jesus. What great events are you looking for? Where are you expecting them to occur? Look around and be watchful because an extraordinary event may be right in your midst. May you have a wonderful week as you look for the extraordinary among the ordinary!